Win or lose Ohio; We've come to a bridge that we must cross

[LuminousX]

How are we going to reshape the Democratic Party over the next four years so we don't have any more 'squeaker' elections?

We have more elections in 2-years that we have to prepare for, the Pukes are 5 votes from a filibuster proof Senate. We cannot allow this to happen.

[PretzelWarrior]

1. I got a small aircraft charter service. we could start there.

know any GOP senators who need a lift?

[LiberalVoice]

2. Are you kidding me?

Do you HONESTLY THINK that if we let them steal the second election in a row we're going to stop them in the future?

If we don't take this election it's over for the democrats and its over for this country.

Wake the hell up.

[monchie]

11. Actually,, it's three stolen elections in a row...

You forgot the 2002 Senate races.

[Catfight]

12. I agree, if Bush and Kerry both don't demand every vote count because

we need a legit election. If the votes don't get counted, the two party system will die.

[rndmprsn]

3. after this mess is sorted out...even if we manage to win this thing...

our beloved democratic party has alot of sorting to do...we've got to figure out how to bridge gaps and reach out, transform maybe...while not loosing our ideals?

[trotsky]

4. It's marketing, nothing more, nothing less.

A majority of people in this country support:

Protecting the environment
Reproductive rights
Taking care of the elderly and poor
Access to healthcare
Etc.

Americans want the Democratic agenda. But the slime politics of Repukes trumps that.

[regnaD kciN]

5. It's the single issues, dummy!

A majority of people in this country support:

Protecting the environment
Reproductive rights
Taking care of the elderly and poor
Access to healthcare
Etc.

But we don't have a large enough bloc (or set of blocs) of the people who will vote entirely based on one or the other.

As was pointed out earlier today, a majority of Americans support same-sex unions. But even 25% of gays supported the Republicans despite their homophobic positions, while there were enough fundamentalists who were determined that stopping "homosexual marriage" was important enough that they would vote against their own personal interests to prevail.

[NewJeffCT]

9. our huge problem on this is framing

The Republicans have framed the debates on many of these issues.

Democrats want to expand access to healthcare - "watch out, government health care... rationing... die in line waiting to see your doctor" - same with helping the elderly & poor. Except the poor are poor by choice or because they are lazy.

Democrats want to protect the environment - "ooo, save the spotted owl & cost our country billions." 'Healthy Forests' & 'Clear Skies' are great names, but nobody reads the fine print. Look for 'Clean Water' next.

We need somebody that can listen to George Lakoff.

[JHBowden]

6. We need to shit or get off the pot on secular issues.

We can either make a principled case for defending the rights of all, or we can go along with habit and prejudice Lieberman-style.

In other words, if we aren't willing to change people's minds towards liberal social positions, then we shouldn't defend them in big campaigns.

[w4rma]

7. Toss the liberal positions on Guns, God and Gays overboard is my opinion

And make a *huge* deal out of it, also.

[formernaderite]

8. bull shit....just the opposite.

we've been trying your stragegy....become more like the republicans every election. It's way too hard for the public to discern who is who. The democrats must define hard differences between the party. It's not the "way" the Iraq war has been fought...it's the damn war.

[Walt Starr]

10. #1, we CANNOT allow Reid to become minority leader

It's that simple. No Senator from a Red State can be allowed to take over that helm. That is a display of weakness. We MUST put up somebody from a safe Blue State or else we'll end up in the smae mess Daschle put us in,

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

13. Reid is a LOT better than Dodd.

Not that those are two good choices. At all.